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Anecdotes of Dogs

Chapter 6: PREFACE.
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About This Book

The work gathers short, largely anecdotal sketches that illustrate the instincts, intelligence, and fidelity of dogs across many breeds. Individual episodes recount rescues, tracking, domestic devotion, hunting exploits, and surprising problem-solving, with sections devoted to particular types such as wolf-dogs, Newfoundlands, hounds, spaniels, terriers, and mastiffs. Observations on temperament, training, feeding, and management are interwoven with moral reflections on the human–canine relationship, and the text is supplemented by numerous engravings and breed-focused chapters that survey habits and notable incidents.

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Title: Anecdotes of Dogs

Author: Edward Jesse

Release date: September 1, 2008 [eBook #26500]
Most recently updated: January 4, 2021

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Bryan Ness, Chris Logan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES OF DOGS ***

ANECDOTES

OF

DOGS.

BY

EDWARD JESSE, Esq.

 
 
"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends."—Pope.
 
 

With numerous Engravings.
 
 

LONDON:
HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
MDCCCLVIII.

LONDON:
Printed by G. Barclay, Castle St. Leicester Sq.

PREFACE.

The character, sensibilities, and intellectual faculties of animals have always been a favourite study, and they are, perhaps, more strongly developed in the dog than in any other quadruped, from the circumstance of his being the constant companion of man. I am aware how much has been written on this subject, but having accumulated many original and interesting anecdotes of this faithful animal, I have attempted to enlarge the general stock of information respecting it. It is a pleasing task, arising from the conviction that the more the character of the dog is known, the better his treatment is likely to be, and the stronger the sympathy excited in his behalf.

Let me hope, that the examples which are given in the following pages will help to produce this effect, and that a friend so faithful, a protector so disinterested and courageous, will meet with that kindness and affection he so well deserves.

It is now my grateful duty to express my thanks to those friends who have so kindly contributed original anecdotes to this work, and especially to Lady Morgan and Mrs. S. Carter Hall for their remarks on the Irish wolf-dog.

I have also to acknowledge my obligations for various anecdotes illustrative of the character of peculiar dogs, extracted from Colonel Hamilton Smith's volumes in the Naturalist's Library and Captain Brown's interesting sketches; as well to the Editor of the "Irish Penny Magazine" for his extremely well-written account of the Irish wolf-dog; and to other sources too numerous to mention.

The present new edition is considerably enlarged, both in matter and plates, and, to suit the taste of the age is presented in a cheap and popular form.

My Publisher has, as usual, lent his aid, and is responsible for some of the additional anecdotes, for the account of the Setter, and for all after page 458, including the chapter "On Feeding and Management."

Edward Jesse.

East Sheen, Sept. 1858.

ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD.

  Title. Painter. Engraver. Page
1. Spaniel & Newfoundland Dogs W. Harvey W. Branston 1
2. Retriever W. Harvey W. Branston 54
3. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 83
4. Deer-hounds W. Harvey W. Branston 85
5. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 132
6. Newfoundland Dog W. Harvey W. Branston 133
7. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 184
8. The Colley, or Shepherd's Dog Stewart Pearson 185
9. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 239
10. St. Bernard Dog W. P. Smith T. Gilks 240
11. Chasseur & Cuba Bloodhounds Freeman Whiting 250
12. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 263
13. The Terrier W. Harvey W. Branston 264
14. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 299
15. The Blenheim Spaniel W. Harvey Pearson 300
16. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 330
17. The Poodle Carpendale Pearson 331
18. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 352
19. Vignette W. P. Smith T. Gilks 353
20. Otter Hunting W. P. Smith T. Gilks 361
21. Tail-piece W. Harvey Vizitelly 366
22. Greyhounds W. Harvey Vizitelly 367
23. Tail-piece C. D. Radcliffe E. Landells 382
24. The Pointer W. Harvey W. Branston 383
25. Tail-piece W. P. Smith T. Gilks 399
26. The Setter W. Harvey W. Branston 400
27. Tail-piece Bewick Bewick 411
28. The Comforter W. R. Smith Pearson 412
29. A Pugnacious Pair Cruickshank Cruickshank 417
30. The Foxhound C. D. Radcliffe E. Landells 421
31. Hounds in a Bath C. D. Radcliffe E. Landells 437
32. The Beagle W. R. Smith T. Gilks 438
33. Tail-piece C. D. Radcliffe E. Landells 439
34. The Mastiff W. Harvey Whimper 440
35. Tail-piece W. R. Smith T. Gilks 453
36. The Bull-dog W. Harvey Vizitelly 454
37. Tail-piece W. R. Smith T. Gilks 458
38. Tail-piece Seymour Pearson 481
39. Feeding Hounds C. D. Radcliffe E. Landells 482
40. Tail-piece W. R. Smith T. Gilks 490

CONTENTS.

Introduction—Value, propensities, and origin of the dog, 1 et passim—the wolf partially domesticated, 6—wild dogs of Ceylon, 15—Sir Walter Scott's bull-dog terrier Camp, 16—the dog and the pieman, 17—death of a dog from affection for its deceased mistress, 18—frozen fowls rescued by a house-dog, 19—Sir R. Brownrigg's dog, 19—the author's terrier Phiz, 20—a dog fond of travelling by himself, 20—runaway horse caught by a dog, 21—lost money guarded by, 21—dogs can reckon time, 22—death of a dog from joy at the return of his master, 22—faithfulness of a dog to its charge, 24—the dog's character influenced by that of its master, 25—sense of smelling, 26—duel about a dog, 28—murder prevented by, 29—a faithful dog killed by mistake, 30—sporting anecdotes of Smoaker, Bachelor, Blunder, &c., 31—intelligence of the dog, 42—tact in cat-hunting, 44—find their way home from long distances, 46—bantam rescued from a game cock, 46—perception of right and wrong, 47—turkey punished for gluttony, 48—speaking dogs, 48-9—a singing dog, 50—creatures of habit, 50—Caniche and the breeches, 51—distinguishes his master's customers, 54—a robber killed by a dog, 55—Dr. Hooper's dog, 55—the fireman's dog, Tyke, 56—the fireman's dog, Bill, 60—dog used as a servant, 61—Mr. Backhouse's dog, 62—the post-dog's revenge, 62—dog returns from Bangalore to Pondicherry, 63—Mr. Decouick's dog, 63—a dog saves human life, 64—guards a chair dropped from a waggon, 64—rescues his master from an avalanche, 64—spaniel tracks his master to Drury Lane, and discovers him in the pit, 65—large dog rescues a small one from drowning, 65—a canine messenger, 66—contrivance of a Newfoundland to get a bun, 67—dog lost for nine weeks in the dome of St. Paul's, 67—support themselves in a wild state, 69—laughable account of the transmigration of souls in connexion with dogs, 71—sheep-dogs in the Pyrenees, 76—Mrs. S. C. Hall's dog, 77—musical spaniel of Darmstadt, 77—Lord Grenville's lines on the dog, 82.

THE IRISH AND HIGHLAND WOLF-DOG.

History of the Irish wolf-dog, 86 et seq. passim—supposed recognition of a wolf-dog of the Irish blood royal, 86—lines on the Irish wolf-dog, 88—anecdotes from Plutarch, 89—the dog of Montargis, 90—the dog of Aughrim, 93—wolf-hunting in Tyrone, 94—sheep-killing wolf-dog, 107—Buskar and Bran, 112—incident with Lord Ossulton's hounds, 116—Bruno and O'Toole, 117—a deer-hound recovers a glove from a boy, 119—Sir W. Scott's dog Maida, 120—a deer-hound detains a suspicious person, 120—follows a wounded deer for three days, 121—Comhstri drowns a stag, 122—Scotch dogs much prized in England, 123—Llewellyn and Beth Gelert, 124—Lady Morgan on the Irish wolf-dog, 127.

THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG.

Character, &c., 133—saves people from drowning, 135—Baby, 136—saves a child from being run over, 136—saves a spaniel from being drowned, 137—saves a gentleman from drowning at Portsmouth, 138—saves a man in a mill-stream, 138—calculating dogs, 138—Sabbath party disturbed by a dog, 139—Archdeacon Wix's dog, 140—a Newfoundland brings away breeches containing money belonging to his master, 143—commits suicide, 145—saves a coachman in the Thames, 146—tries to drown a spaniel, 147—uses his paw as a fishing-bait, 148—in carrying two hats puts one inside other, 148—three dogs previously enemies unite against a common foe, 149—a dog saves his drowning enemy, 151—releases himself and companions from captivity, 152—a swimming-wager amusingly lost by a dog's care, 153—the dog as postman, 153—swims for ten hours in a tempestuous sea, 153—saves his dead master's pocket-book, 154—Lord Grenville's lines on the, 155—Newfoundland dog ducks his aggressor, 157—carries a rope to the shore, 158—saves an ungrateful master, 158—guardian of a lady's honour, 160—anecdotes of Mr. M'Intyre's dog Dandie, 160-5—a Newfoundland causes the detection of a dishonest porter, 165—saves twelve persons from drowning, 166—watches over his drunken master, 167—his humanity occasions a disturbance at Woolwich Theatre, 167—carries a lanthorn before his master, 168—saves the lives of all on board the Durham Packet, 170—drowns a pet lamb out of jealousy, 171—rescues a canary which had flown into the sea, 171—saves his old master from robbers, 173—St. John's and Labrador dogs, 176—long remembrance of injuries, 177—discovers a poacher, 178—discretion and revenge, 178—returns from Berwick to London, 179—the Romans had some dog of the same kind, 179—liberates a man who had fallen into a gravel-pit, 180—Boatswain provides his mistress a dinner, 181—a trespasser detained, 181—Victor at the Battle of Copenhagen, 182—a Newfoundland dog retrieves on the ice, 182—fetches a coat from the tailor's, 183—lines by Lord Eldon, 184.

THE COLLEY OR SHEPHERD'S DOG.

Saves the life of Mr. Satterthwaite, 186—the Ettrick Shepherd's dog, Sirrah, collects a scattered flock at midnight, 188—Hector, 189—points the cat, 191—has an ear for music, 194—hears where his master is going, and precedes him, 196—a wonderful sheep-dog, 199—a bitch having pupped deposits her young in the hills, and afterwards fetches them home, 201—cunning of sheep-stealing dogs, 202-5—a sheep-dog dies of starvation whilst tending his charge, 206—discrimination of a sheep-dog, 207—a sheep-dog remembers all the turnings of a road, 208—follows a young woman who had borrowed his mistress's cloak, 211—Drummer saves a cow, 212—Cæsar rescues his master from an avalanche, 213—a sheep-dog snatches away a beggar's stick, 214—a colley conducts the flock whilst his master is drinking, 214—dishonesty punished, 215—a sporting colley, 216—a colley buries her drowned offspring, 217—brings assistance to her helpless master, 217—saves his master from being frozen to death, 219—his master having broken his arm sends home his dog for assistance, 220—a colley punishes a tailor's dog for worrying his flock, 221—the sheep-stealing colley, 222—a colley distinguishes diseased sheep, 228—the Ettrick Shepherd's story of the dog Chieftain, 230—a colley feeds his master's lost child on the Grampian Hills, 232—the shepherds' dogs of North Wales, 235—training a colley, 238.

THE ST. BERNARD DOG.

Mrs. Houston's lines on the, 240—peculiar intelligence of, 241—the monks and their dogs, 242—a dog saves a woman's life, 243—intuitive foreboding of danger, 244—a dog saves a child, 245—revenges his ill-treated master, 247—a St. Bernard dog named Barry saves forty lives, 248—destruction of a whole party by an avalanche, 249.

THE BLOODHOUND.

Habits of the bloodhound, 251—its remarkable scent, 252—pursuit of Wallace with a bloodhound, 253—bloodhounds employed for hunting negroes in Cuba, 253—a bloodhound traces a miscreant twenty miles, 255—Sir W. Scott's description of a bloodhound, 255—extract from Wanley's "Wonders," 256—a bloodhound discovers a lost child, 257—the Spanish chasseurs and their dogs, 258—a sheepstealer discovered by a bloodhound, 260—atrocities of the Spaniards, 261.

THE TERRIER.

Its varieties, 265—Peter, 266—a terrier kills a child from jealousy, 268—pines to death from jealousy, 268—guards a lady in her walks, 269—affection of a terrier, 269—Sir Walter Scott's description of Wasp, 270—brings assistance to his imprisoned master, 271—gets a friend to pay his boat-hire, 272—Mrs. Grosvenor's dog, 273—a bell-ringing and message-carrying terrier, 273—a dog knows his mistress's dress, and follows the wearer, 274—anecdotes of a terrier at Hampton Court, 274—a terrier saves his master from being burnt to death, 277—suckles a rat, 277—tries to prevent his master from beating his son, 278—Pincer seeks assistance in dislodging rats, 278—a terrier rescues her two drowned pups, 280—seeks assistance in getting a bone, 281—gets a lady to ring the bell for him, 282—flies at the throat of a man who attacks his master, 282—a grateful terrier, 283—attachment to a cat, 283—clever expedient of two affectionate dogs, 284—Snap, 285—the fate of a gentleman revealed to his family by means of a terrier, 286—a terrier in the Tower follows a soldier to find his master, 288—Snob, 289—a terrier suckles fox-cubs, 290—brings assistance to his canine friend, 291—returns from York to London, 292—finds a thief in the cupboard, 292—friendship between a terrier and bantam, 293—traces his master to Gravesend, 294—Peter, 295—a terrier suckles a kitten, 295—a terrier discovers where his master has travelled by the scent, 296—nurses a brood of ducklings and chickens, 296—brings his master's wife to the dead body of her husband, 297—Keeper recognises his master's vessel after a long interval, 298.

THE SPANIEL.